This is an excerpt from one of the recent episodes of 'Do I Need a Lawyer?' hosted by: Gary Martin Hays.
Now let's go to the next question from one of our viewers.
"Hi Gary - I have a question regarding all of the ads I have seen lately about the lawsuit involving Testosterone.
I was using a testosterone replacement for a couple of years. I'm 65 years old.
In November of last year, I had a heart attack.
I don't know if my heart attack was related to the testosterone or not.
I have been in very good health prior to the heart attack.
Am I ok to start taking the testosterone again?
Do I need a lawyer?
-Stanton in Newnan
Stanton:
Great to hear from you.
Stanton: thanks for the question and I'm sorry about your heart attack.
I hope and pray you make a full recovery - if you haven't already.
Let's talk about the testosterone therapy litigation because we are seeing this all over the news now.
Testosterone is a hormone that is involved in maintaining sex drive, muscle mass, bone health, and also energy levels.
However, as us men get older, the testosterone levels in our body naturally decreases.
The number of prescriptions written for men diagnosed with low testosterone - or Low-T) has more than doubled since 2006.
There are some estimates out there that approximately 13.8 million American men now experience the effects of lowered testosterone levels.
In 2011, 5.3 million prescriptions were written in the United States.
The ads for all of the testosterone treatment programs are all over the tv and in magazines.
They promise that the Low T Therapy will help treat symptoms of low energy, sagging muscles, decreased libido, mood changes and emotional issues.
These products are used by nearly 4% of men in their 60's.
Nearly 25% of the patients who are prescribed Low T products have not even had their testosterone levels checked before beginning the therapy.
But let me talk about a study that has now raised a lot of concerns about these Low T therapies.
This is a study that was conducted by a group of researchers affiliated with the National Cancer Institute of approximately 56,000 men.
The study revealed that some men that use these prescription testosterone therapies have an increased risk of suffering heart attacks.
Men over the age of 65 had twice the rate of heart attacks in the three months after beginning the testosterone therapy.
Men under the age of 65 who had some form of pre-existing heart disease had triple the risk of a cardio event.
The study went a little further.
It also addressed whether these men on the testosterone replacement therapy were at a greater risk of cardiac issues versus a separate group of men who were just taking Viagra and Cialis.
The study found the men on the erectile dysfunction drugs DID NOT experience more heart attacks.
The Journal of the American Medical Association also published a study of testosterone replacement therapies.
It had similar results as it found that older men had a 29% increase in stroke, heart attack and death when undergoing testosterone therapy.
Injuries could occur within 90 days of exposure to the drug via topical gel, transdermal patch, or injection.
There was a federally funded research study back in 2009. The purpose of the study was to find out if testosterone gels could help older men build muscle. The study had to be stopped because some of their research participants were suffering heart attacks and other problems.
Now here is a very important date regarding Testosterone Therapy.
On January 31, 2014, the Food and Drug Administration - the FDA - announced that it would start investigating the risks of heart attack, stroke, and death in men that used prescription testosterone products.
The FDA recommended that patients should not stop using these products without first talking to their doctors or other health care professionals.
My law firm is reviewing cases involving men who have suffered a heart attack, stroke, deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism while taking prescription Testosterone products.
The supplements we are investigating include:
* Androderm
* Androgel
* Axiron
* Bio-T-gel
* Delatestryl
* Depo Testosterone
* Fortesta
* Striant
* Testim
and
* Testopel
It is our belief the makers of these low testosterone medications failed to adequately research the risk of stroke or heart attack from the Low T therapy, especially among men with pre-existing cardiac issues.
It is also our believe these manufacturers failed to warn consumers and the medical communities about the risk of cardiac problems.
If you were injured while using any of these testosterone therapies, you may be able to recover compensation for your economic and non-economic losses. This could include your medical expenses, lost wages, and money for your pain and suffering and emotional suffering.
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